


Questions

by RivalSilver



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, F/M, Implied Relationships, One-Sided Attraction, Other, he even bought the ring, implied kamarx, one-sided leokamu, painful shit, poor leo :(, this was painful to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 09:18:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9880331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RivalSilver/pseuds/RivalSilver
Summary: Leo hated being Xander's shadow, but could never escape it.





	

    The view before him broke his heart. No—it had ripped his heart out of his chest in such a cruel, painful way, and ripped it into millions of pieces, proving him that all hope he harbored had maliciously vanished.

    Palm clenching the little box that held a special, significant accessory, Leo stood there, stunned, some few feet away from the woman he was looking for. The same one who he had been struggling with his feelings to, the one who was so eager to learn – educate herself – from him, and the one that, unfortunately, others had admired.

    He remembered how happy he was when he walked out of the shop, admiring the ring in his palm. It was a simple ring, of course, with its Nohrian twist of some purple along the sides. A mere gaze of the ring had Leo’s heart flutter in pure glee, and his cheeks tint a bit of red. For once, there was no sadness. No frustration. No agony. For the first time, Leo truly felt _happy_. Happy that he was taking the next step – albeit risky – forward in his life. The war was still ongoing, but was at the brink of ending, and in all that time, he learned a lot about himself and his comrades.

    Specifically, he learned that the sensation in his chest whenever he was with Corrin was more than just excitement to see her.

    When she asked him if he could assist her with studying, he thought he had been dreaming. Though he was more than happy to oblige, he did not think that Corrin was one to focus on her academics during the middle of war. He was not surprised when she mentioned that broadening her horizons would help others in battle, yet he agreed. And through their sessions, their bond had bloomed stronger than ever.

    Leo had always struggled with his feelings towards Corrin – ever since he was informed that they _weren’t_ related, surprisingly conveyed him nothing but joy. Being her brother, of course, was something he _knew_ brought Corrin happiness. And she _loved_ him – that much, he acknowledged. However, Leo’s flimsy heart ached every time she called to him as ‘brother.’ He _didn’t_ want to be her brother, nor did he want her love as a sibling. Each time she told him that she loved him, the stings to his chest perplexed him. The prince realized that he desired a love that was shared between spouses – two people coming together and sharing their happiness in life, and _love_.

    It was selfish, and it disgusted him, but Leo at that point didn’t care. His bottled up feelings bloomed like flowers during spring, and by then, all he ever thought about was Corrin. Books closed early – he couldn’t read past a page without wondering if Corrin would appreciate the literature he enjoyed. He couldn’t prepare a battle plan without thinking what was best for Corrin. He couldn’t sleep without questioning if Corrin was safe and sound, sleeping in her quarters.

_What would it be like to spend the rest of my life with Corrin?_

    He hated being Xander’s shadow – escaping it was difficult for him, yet the differences were in plain sight: sword to tome and the fact that Xander had no time for bonding, in fact, being able to distance himself to focus on his duties as the eldest prince. He hated the way Corrin would always monopolize attention with his siblings – though it was not her fault. He wanted all of her attention.

    For the first time in his life, he felt that this was the correct thing to do. To give her the ring he held, and simply inform her that these were feelings he could no longer suppress, and to worm his way into her heart _exactly_ the way she had done to his own. He would tell her how he felt – just how long he concealed these feelings of love, suffocating him – it was time to _breathe_. He wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her, and to finally be _happy_.

    Breathe, he did.

    And choke, he felt.

    Green pupils dilated in horror. The box slipped carelessly to the side of his palm, landing along the ground near his feet with a soft thud. Leo’s body felt stuck in place. He did not blink, solely dumbfounded by the sight. 

    The two smiled wide – the type of smile he had only seen her make in his dreams. Their hands interlocked beautifully. Her gorgeous face dusted with red – it looked simply divine. Red eyes were wide with adoration, shyness, and a hint of excitement. The cold heartache that throbbed around Leo’s heart was as sharp as knives, as he witnessed the instant Xander leaned down, and hesitantly placed a kiss to her forehead, all while cupping her face.

    Ignoring the sensation of one lone tear clumping at the corner of his eye, Leo only watched as Xander embraced Corrin, their engagement as clear as crystal. A nasty feeling bubbled inside of him – towards his own brother, at the realization of what he had seen.

    He was able to wipe away the lone tear as Corrin trotted her way over, Xander following right behind her, through a link of their hands.

    She smiled. After picking up the box naively, the Nohrian princess held it aloft in her palm, extending it to his face, virtually stabbing his heart with a _no_.

    “Is this yours, Leo?”

_It’s yours._

    Nodding, he weakly grasped for it, saying nothing. He caught the way eldest prince’s hand squeezed Corrin’s small hand, exchanging smiles that were so vibrant, showing off the birth of new found happiness.

    And it tore his heart, along with his feelings of happiness away from his body, mind, and soul.


End file.
